9/11 10th anniversary

I feel a kindered spirit with 9/11 with my birthday being on 11/11, it's the all the 11s. I watched this morning's ceremony with tears in my eyes. If it affects me this much, I can't even begin to imagine how hard this must be for those that lost a loved one. It's one thing to trade stories abt where you were when this happened and another thing entirely not be around anymore to tell your story. Very sad and no words can do it justice.

Taco Bell

What is it about this fast food joint lol I'm having lunch there today. Woo hoo!

Dua Se

As I get older, I actually am understanding the meaning of Bhagwan Ki Dua Se...

Jay Hind! Indian national anthem

Jana gana mana adhi naayaka jaya hai!
Bhaarat bhaagya vidhaata
Punjab Sindh Gujarat Maraatha,
Dravid Utkala Bangaa.
Vindhya Himachala Yamuna Ganga,
Uchhala jaladhi taranga.
Tava shubh naame jaage,
Tava shubh aashish maage,
Gahe tava jaya-gaatha.
Jana-gana-mangaladayaka jaya hai!
Bharat bhagya vidhata.
Jaya hai! Jaya hai! Jaya hai!
Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya hai!

English Translation

"Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,
dispenser of India's destiny.
The name rouses the hearts of
Punjab, Sind, Gujarat and Maratha,
of the Dravid and Orissa and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of the Yamuna and Ganga
and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise.
The salvation of all people is in thy hand,
thou dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, victory, victory to thee."

flow of life, of love, of relationships

"When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet this is exactly what most of us demand. We have so little faith in the ebb and flow of life, of love, of relationships. We leap at the flow of the tide and resist in terror its ebb. We are afraid it will never return. We insist on permanency, on duration, on continuity; when the only continuity possible, in life as in love, is in growth, in fluidity - in freedom, in the sense that the dancers are free, barely touching as they pass, but partners in the same pattern.

The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. Security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what was in nostalgia, nor forward to what it might be in dread or anticipation, but living in the present relationship and accepting it as it is now. Relationships must be like islands, one must accept them for what they are here and now, within their limits - islands, surrounded and interrupted by the sea, and continually visited and abandoned by the tides. "
--Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Happy 4th of July

Freedom is not the absence of commitments, but the ability to choose--and commit myself to--what is best for me.

--Paulo Coelho

being spiritual

This past weekend, I attended Rameshbhai Oza (Bhaishri)'s Katha. Bapu is a figure from my youth when I had to go to these events because I wasn't allowed to stay home alone. Now I go voluntarily to Hinduism discourses. Funny how life works. And while as a kid, these things didn't resonate with me, as an adult - I'm eager to pick up his nuggets of opinion. He said a few things appealing to me --

1) Bapu spoke of this story he was told by someone else: A young man approached a famous religious man in India and he requested he be taught all the ins and outs of the Srimad Bhagavat. The saint asked the young man if he had ever been in love in his life. The man responded with a look of disgust and said no. He said he wasn't like that and honestly wanted to become religious and faithful. The saint asked him again if he had ever in his life been in love. The young man responded negative. The saint gave him a solid look in the eyes and said then you won't be able to become faithful and spiritual b/c it takes someone who can FEEL and be free and open. This amazed me b/c it was simple and it made sense. Loving God and loving someone requires the ability to feel.

2) Sometimes presenters have this tricky way of inserting a topic into your mind without you even realizing it Last night, Bapu casually mentioned to the crowd that when you "own" something you take great care of it, know its whereabouts, and it's general well being. We can go thru life saying God is ours -- but why not say We are God's? This way we become in God's possession and this way naturally He takes good care of us and our well being b/c everyone takes care of their own. Subtle but again made sense to me.

Adele's Rolling In The Deep

I have been hearing this song all over the place and I love it; Click here for the song.

Learning

"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn."
--Benjamin Franklin

beautiful morning!!

I love springggggggggg!!!!! :)